American Ballet Theatre to Give Rare Hudson Valley Performance at Bard College on October 17 and 18

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. – The Richard B.Fisher Center for the Performing Arts presents a rare program of Hudson Valley performances by American Ballet Theatre on Friday, October 17 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, October 18 at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, October 19 at 3 p.m. The program, featuring works by Jiří Kylián, Paul Taylor, and Twyla Tharp, will be held in the Fisher Center’s stunning Sosnoff Theater.Tickets are $20, $40, and $65, and can be purchased by calling the Fisher Center box office at 845-758-7900, or visiting the website at www.fishercenter.bard.edu.

Acclaimed as one of the world’s great dance companies, American Ballet Theatre (ABT) has been recognized as a living national treasure since its founding in 1940. Directed since 1992 by former principal dancer Kevin McKenzie, ABT has appeared in 131 cities in 42 countries, as well as in all 50 states, over the past six-plus decades. On April 27, 2006, by an act of Congress, ABT became America’s National Ballet Company®. Clive Barnes, of the New York Post, wrote “One of the most beautiful sights in dance is American Ballet Theatre in full flight.”

The Fisher Center program features two dances choreographed by Twyla Tharp, Baker’s DozenandSinatra Suite, as well as the company premieres of Overgrown Path by Jiří Kylián and Company B by Paul Taylor. ABT principal dancers for the engagement include Jose Manuel Carreño, Herman Cornejo, Marcelo Gomes, David Hallberg, Paloma Herrera, Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, Xiomara Reyes and Michele Wiles.*

Twyla Tharp’sBaker’s Dozen, originally premiered in 1979, has held the public’s attention as a particular Tharp classic, mixing nostalgic and contemporary emotions all together. The dance takes its audience, by way of its satiny smooth jazz music, to a “palm court” space where afternoon social dancing happens with utter ease and inevitability. Tharp is widely recognized as one of the leading choreographers of contemporary dance and continues to create works for leading dance companies around the world. Baker’s Dozen is staged by Elaine Kudo, with music by Willie “The Lion” Smith, costumes by Santo Loquasto, and lighting by Jennifer Tipton.

Another Tharp classic, Sinatra Suite, is a ballet for two dancers set to five songs (Strangers in the Night, All the Way, That’s Life, My Way, and One For My Baby (And One More for the Road), all sung by Frank Sinatra. It is a suite of dances from Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs, which she created for her own company in 1982. Sinatra Suite is staged by Elaine Kudo and features original costume designs by Oscar de la Renta and original lighting by Jennifer Tipton.

Jiří Kylián’s Overgrown Path is based on Leoš Janáček’s intimate piano cycle.Janáčekwrote On an Overgrown Path gradually over a number of years, spanning the time before and after 1902, in the saddest period of his life. The highly autobiographical music memorializes the death of Janáček’s much-loved daughter Olga. Created by Kylián as an homage to Antony Tudor, Overgrown Pathis staged byRoslyn Anderson and features scenery and costumes by Walter Nobbe and lighting by Kees Tjebbes.

Structured like a 1940s revue, Paul Taylor’s Company B is a suite of dances choreographed to nine Andrews Sisters songs. The dance includes the title song, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (of Company B), as well as Yiddish tunes, Latin rhythms, and polkas from Pennsylvania. The New York Times called it a “smash hit … pure genius” and a “profound piece of choreography to a groovy beat.” One of the most sought-after choreographers working today, the internationally recognized Paul Taylor has been breaking new ground in modern dance for more than six decades. The production is staged for ABT by Patrick Corbin and features costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Jennifer Tipton.